Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 285
Ervin J. Mast, 33, of Ewing appeared before the Honorable Donna Taylor last week, for arraignment on four counts alleged Nov. 27, 2020. He is charged with, Count I, driving under the influence, .15 grams or more, first offense, a Class W misdemeanor; Count II, no proof of financial responsibility, a Class 2 misdemeanor; no valid registration, a Class 3 misdemeanor; and possession of an open alcohol container, an infraction. Mast pleaded not guilty to all four counts and requested a jury trial. Pretrial hearing is set Feb. 17. Bond, in the...
The Honorable Donna Taylor ruled on several arrest warrants, for defendants who failed to appear in court, when she presided from the bench in the Antelope County Courthouse in Neligh last week. Edward D. Lundstrom, 63, of Stanton failed to appear Jan. 5, for the second time, for arraignment on a count of second-degree criminal trespass, a Class 3 misdemeanor alleged Nov. 18. Taylor directed County attorney Joe Abler may file a motion for order of a warrant. Angela R. Flores, 42, of Neligh failed to appear on a misdemeanor Neligh nuisance...
A Texas couple is being held in the Antelope County Jail on $25,000 bond, with charges related to a stolen pickup and camper discovered near Orchard on Monday, Dec. 28. Rodney A. Anderson, 28, homeless, and Lauren A. Lucas, 23, of Tomball, Texas, appeared before the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh last Wednesday, Jan. 5, facing felony charges related to the thefts of a Chevrolet pickup from Scotts Bluff County and a camper from Stuart. Each defendant is charged with two counts, a Class 2A felony, theft by unlaw...
Michael R. Hernandez, 28, of Clearwater faced the Honorable Donna Taylor for arraignment on a Class 3 misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace. Hernandez, who waived his right to counsel, pleaded guilty and was fined $500, along with one day previously served in the Antelope County Jail and assessed $50 costs of prosecution. Antelope County officers were called to Hernandez residence in Clearwater the night of Dec. 11, on reports he had broken a window, was yelling and scaring children at the residence, with no physical abuse occurring. He...
If 2020 vision existed, the past year may have turned out differently. Or, maybe we needed this year to define our strengths and guide us toward a revision of what we deem as normal. The year 2020 caused us to slow down and realize what matters most. While coronavirus - and all its implications - dominated the news cycle, other news items drew attention: groundbreaking for the new school site, cruise nights honoring graduates, new businesses opening and surviving a pandemic, pumpkin patches spro...
Jefferey C. Voborny, 58, of Neligh faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh last Wednesday, Dec. 16, for sentencing. Voborny pleaded guilty Nov. 4, after reaching a plea deal with Antelope County attorney Joe Abler, to Count I, driving under the influence of alcohol, 0.15 or more, second offense, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and no contest to Count II, leaving the scene of a property-damage accident, a Class 2 misdemeanor, both committed Sept. 3. In return, Abler dismissed an infraction count of failure to yield...
The Honorable Donna Taylor presided from the bench in the Antelope County courtroom last Wednesday, while the state of Nebraska was represented by Pierce County attorney Ted Lohberg, on behalf of Antelope County attorney Joe Abler. A 27-year-old Wayne man appeared in a 2013 case. Johnathon Crocker was convicted in June 2013 of writing four bad checks, Class 2 misdemeanors, fined $50 for each and restitution, along with a six-month term of probation. A motion to revoke probation was filed in August 2013 and when Crocker failed to appear at a...
A Neligh man, who had one of his five counts amended to a felony last month, sees charge returned to a misdemeanor. Pepper W. Marchant, 22, again entered not guilty pleas to five counts alleged Sept. 26 in Neligh, when he met the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom last Wednesday, Dec. 2. Marchant was scheduled for pretrial hearing on five counts last month, having previously pleaded not guilty to each of the Class 1 misdemeanors, including assaulting a public safety officer with body fluid; two counts of third-degree...
The Honorable Donna Taylor sustained several requests for defendants to consult with lawyers when she presided from the county court bench at the Antelope County Courthouse in Neligh last Wednesday. Aluat D. Atem, 42, of Lincoln appeared on a violation of probation charge. She requested a continuance to consult with an attorney, which was granted by Taylor. The hearing is continued to Dec. 2. Atem was sentenced to nine months’ probation, participation in the continuous alcohol monitoring program and required to use an ignition interlock d...
The Honorable Donna Taylor resentenced a Ewing man, whose probation was revoked after he admitted violating its terms, last Wednesday in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh. Shawn N. Stenka, 37, was sentenced to serve 30 days in the Antelope County Jail, with credit for two days previously served. Taylor revoked his driver’s license for one year, giving him credit for 365 days suspension. Stenka was placed on a 12-month term of probation Nov. 20, 2019, for a conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol. He admitted violations, i...
An Orchard man appeared for arraignment in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh last Wednesday, Nov. 18, facing charges in two separate cases. Andrew J. Clifton, 52, is charged with disturbing the peace, a Class 3 misdemeanor, that is alleged Oct. 27, at his parents’ home in Orchard. According to a probable-cause affidavit filed by Antelope County sheriff Bob Moore, that requested a warrant for Clifton’s arrest, a 911 was received, reporting threatening delusional behavior by the defendant. A warrant for Clifton’s arrest, signed by the Honor...
A Texas man pleaded guilty last week, by waiver, and paid $200 in fines and costs to the Antelope County court, for 2016 offenses. Daniel G. Sanchez, 31, of Brownsville, Texas, was cited in Clearwater by an Antelope County deputy in September 2016 for no proof of financial responsibility, a Class 2 misdemeanor; no operator’s license, a Class 3 misdemeanor; and speeding, 10 miles per hour over the posted limit, an infraction. He was given a court date of Oct. 5, 2016, which he failed to keep. A warrant was issued for his arrest and was r...
Two defendants arrested near Clearwater on Sept. 29, accused of theft by receiving stolen property, $1,500-$4,999, related to a stolen Suburban, had their bonds reduced by the Honorable Donna Taylor last week They waived their rights to preliminary hearings when they faced Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom and were bound over to Antelope County district court. Both were set for district court arraignment Oct. 28. Christopher J. Alexander, 22, of Omaha, was accompanied by his court-appointed attorney, Martin Klein of Neligh. Klein asked...
Christopher L. Beltz, 33, of Plainview faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County court last Wednesday, Oct. 21, without counsel, on a Class 1 misdemeanor count of child abuse/neglect, alleged Aug. 17. Beltz requested a continuance to allow retaining an attorney. Taylor granted the request and set further arraignment for Nov. 18. If convicted, Beltz faces a penalty of up to $1,000 and/or one-year incarceration, in addition to possible restitution. Three Elgin men, who faced Taylor on charges stemming from a fight at 306 Pine...
Antelope County court proceedings got off to a late start last Wednesday, Oct. 21, due to the county prosecutor being involved in a Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review hearing, remotely, with other county officials. Once county attorney Joe Abler arrived in the courtroom, the Honorable Donna Taylor and the court staff worked through a lengthy docket in short order, finishing with criminal cases by about 11 a.m. Fernando J. Hernandez, 36, of Fremont faced Taylor with his attorney, Dennis Morland of Norfolk, for further arraignment of a Class W...
Two defendants faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh last Tuesday, Sept. 29, on charges related to a stolen vehicle that was recovered near Clearwater on Sept. 20. Antelope County deputy Cameron Lehr was pulling out of Hi-Way Mart while on patrol Sept. 20, when he observed an unplated GMC Suburban passing another vehicle. Lehr conducted a traffic stop outside of town on Highway 275. The driver, Christopher J. Alexander, 22, of Omaha told the deputy he had not had time to license the vehicle due to...
CW Schonemann, 49, who resides at 307 Montana Street in Clearwater, appeared in Antelope County court in Neligh last Wednesday, Sept. 16, for trial. The case involved violation of a village nuisance ordinance, with the date of violation noted as June 12. The Honorable Donna Taylor presided, with the village attorney, Joe McNally, as prosecutor. McNally presented photos and other evidence and called village clerk Tina Snider and Antelope County deputy John Shaver to the stand to testify. Shaver testified Schonemann had refused an offer by the vi...
Matthew D. Kershaw, 39, formerly of Ewing, currently an inmate in the Colorado Department of Corrections facility in Golden, appeared in front of the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom, electronically, to enter pleas to 2011 Nebraska charges. Kershaw’s attorney, Frederick Bartell of Norfolk, appeared in person. A plea deal was announced, resulting in Kershaw pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count, criminal mischief, $500 to $1,500, and agreeing to pay restitution. Two felony counts, possession of a firearm by a p...
Dennis C. Statler, 50, of Neligh faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday, Sept. 2, in the Antelope County courtroom for sentencing on a Class 1 misdemeanor count of domestic assault, cause body injury, committed March 31. He was sentenced to a 12-month term of probation, including related fees totaling $390 and $60 costs of prosecution. In addition to standard terms of probation, Statler was ordered to complete a co-occurring evaluation and to follow recommendations; complete an initial diagnostic interview for Batterer’s I...
Drew W. Steskal, 31, of Spencer, appeared in Antelope County court last Wednesday, Sept. 2, following an Aug. 31 crash northwest of Clearwater and an extensive subsequent search for the driver. According to documents filed by Antelope County sheriff Bob Moore, passersby had reported an abandoned vehicle about three miles northwest of Clearwater. Moore reported finding a red Ford Escort in the west ditch of a county road, about 200 yards north of the highway, with the driver door open. Moore said evidence indicated the vehicle had entered Cliffo...
Criminal complaints were filed earlier this month for failing to control noxious weeds on 10 area farms. Complaints alleged the defendants failed to control leafy spurge, despite individual notices sent to each of them June 17. Convictions would have subjected the defendants to potential fines of $1,500 each. Nine of 10 complaints were dismissed last week by Antelope County attorney Joe Abler, after the landowners or managers, Antelope County weed superintendent Bruce Ofe and Abler came to an agreement. The Noxious Weed Control Act governs...
Last Wednesday was not a typical day in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh. The Honorable Donna Taylor heard from a man who requested a year in jail and a woman who cited religion as a reason not to appear. Billy Russell, 29, of Elgin had spent the previous 96 days in the county jail on charges of driving under the influence, third offense, and resisting arrest, as his case proceeded to the point of sentencing. He nearly begged Taylor to keep him there. Russell’s mother sent a letter to the judge, asking her to keep him “as long as you can...
The Honorable Donna Taylor presided over an array of cases last Wednesday, stemming from fights, traffic crashes, driving while intoxicated or under suspension, to dog attacks. In a rare move, Taylor chose not to follow a sentencing recommendation county attorney Joseph Abler offered as part of a plea deal. Abler recommended a fine only for Smokie J. Pike, 24, of Kearney, in exchange for Pike's no contest plea to third-degree assault, fight by mutual consent, a Class 2 misdemeanor. After...
Six of seven defendants who faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday morning, July 1, when she presided from the bench in the Antelope County court, faced charges stemming from alleged fights. If convicted of their individual third-degree assault, fight by mutual consent charges, they each face a possible fine of up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both, for the Class 2 misdemeanor. Hugo Estrada, 28, and Smokie J. Pike, 24, who resided in Neligh for the past several months, were cited for a May 3 fight at their residence. Pike pleaded...
Justin W. Bennett, 24, formerly of Lancaster, California, currently incarcerated at the Antelope County Jail, appeared before the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom Wednesday, June 17, on an extradition request from Los Angeles County, California. Prior to facing the judge, Bennett informed county attorney Joe Abler he intended to request a hearing, to find out what the California charges are about. Documents in possession of Antelope County officials listed allegations by code only. Abler said he had not looked up...
